


Chrome-Alloy Easy

by Hours_Gone_By



Series: Prowl Week 2020 [3]
Category: Transformers – Aligned Continuity Family, Transformers – All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe – Criminals, Art, Art Theft, Gen, Playing Both Sides, Prowl Week 2020, disguises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:35:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23770936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hours_Gone_By/pseuds/Hours_Gone_By
Summary: They say the criminal always returns to the scene of the crime. Well, it might be true but most of them probably don't do it like this.
Series: Prowl Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1709683
Comments: 26
Kudos: 58
Collections: Prowl Week





	Chrome-Alloy Easy

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Prowl Week 2020. Prompt: Law/Crime

Prowl carefully eased himself out from behind the display he'd used as a hidey-hole when he couldn't hear the museum guard's footsteps anymore. He bypassed most of the exhibits. The pretty little knickknacks in those were worth a nice amount of shanix, but they weren't his target. _His_ target was not quite as pretty, but it was worth _much_ more.

Prowl had learned quite a few things about art over the vorns. Among them was that money could _not_ buy taste. His target, a statuette of The Fallen, was a stunning example of that. Far too much carving, far too much enamelling, far too many gems, just far too much everything. Well. Except for value, of course, difficult to have to much of that. Besides, Prowl didn't have to like it to fence it.

Cracking the locks, physical and electronic, was as easy for Prowl as palming open his own apartment door. Fooling the pressure sensors took a nano-klik longer and then the prize was in his hand. Everything else he set back exactly the way it had been, just to confuse everyone, and then he slipped out through the loading dock. Easy as chrome-alloy pie; Prowl one picked up on the way home. No one else would get the joke, of course, but he did, and that was good enough.

* * *

Back home, Prowl secured his treasure and treated himself to a slice of pie. He sent the commands to his chromanites to revert him to his Enforcer colours and went to bed satisfied with a job well done. The next morning he scanned through the news for information about his previous night's excursion. Not much more than sound bites and short articles, he noted.

Ah, well. It wasn't as if anyone particularly _liked_ The Fallen, and it was a very tacky statuette. The museum should thank him for relieving their patrons of the burden of seeing it. Prowl set up an alert to notify him if any new articles were posted over the next three cycles, and headed to his day job.

Prowl had barely sat down to check his messages before Flatfoot appeared, looking harried.

"Prowl, I need you to go to the Central Iacon Art Museum," he started, abrupt as always. "I know you're in homicide, but you're the only investigator I have right now. A statuette on loan from the High Temple of Primus's collection was stolen. As far as the Director's concerned, it's the worst thing ever, just an absolute clusterfrag. You can hand it over to someone else later, but – just get there, okay?"

Sweet fancy Primus. Prowl stifled a chuckle. This was _perfect_.

When he arrived at the museum, walking in through the front door this time, it was to be greeted by a mech whose RFID beacon indicated he was Abstraction, Museum Director.

"About time, about time," Abstraction grumbled when Prowl introduced himself. The Director was about to say something but caught himself short when Prowl's RFID registered, showing his division. "A _homicide_ detective? This is an art crime! _How_ can anyone confuse that with a murder?"

"I was the first detective available," Prowl told him, trying to smooth things over so he at least wouldn't have to hear about it later. "Captain Flatfoot understands the importance of this investigation."

Abstraction sighed. "I suppose – but do you even know anything about art?"

"Not much," Prowl lied and gestured vaguely toward the galleries. "Please show me where the object was located. I'll begin from there."

A group of evidence technicians were already there, including one examining the lock on the display case.

"It's a tough one, sir," they said, shaking their head as Prowl approached. "A real mystery. Whoever did this was a maestro."

"Don't compliment them!" Abstraction snapped. "Find them!"

"We'll do our best, sir," Prowl assured him. "Now, this item that was stolen, how valuable is it?"

Abstraction began to give him details on the statuette, in between complaints about not being sent a detective at least somewhat familiar with art and history. Prowl nodded, took notes, and mentally jacked up the asking price for the statuette by a few hundred shanix.

If Prowl had known he'd be assigned to investigate his own theft, he'd have picked up a second pie last night. This was going to be the most fun he'd had in _ages_.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of the [LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:  
> 
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions
>   * Constructive criticism
>   * “<3” as extra kudos
>   * Reader-reader interaction
> 

> 
> Author Responses: This author replies to comments. If you don't want a reply, for any reason, feel free to sign your comment with "whisper," and I will appreciate it but not respond.


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